Break-glass fire-alarm.



w C. AUTH.

BREAK GLASSHRE ALARM. y.APPLICATION FILD JUNE 1l, 1910.

992,633. 7 yPatentedMay16,1911. x

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WHW* iiilllllllll|||||||||||||||||||||||| w/nvfssfs; W h i To allgzbtoinit may concern.' i*

Be it""known that I, CHARLES AUTH, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of'Kings and State of New York,have invented a new and Improved Break-Glass Fire-Alarm, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to fire alarms o'f the so-called break glass type, my more particular vpurpose being to provide such alarms'with an eiiicient testing device, and also to improve the general construction of such alarms. l

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part. of this speciication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. K

Figure 1 is an. elevation showing the alarm box and hammer for breaking the glass in orderto give thealarm; Figi-12 is la section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, vshowing the contact mechanism for "actuating the alarm and also showing themeans controllable by a key for testuigfthe condition of vthe apparatusyand Fig..;3. isf an enlarged fragmentary elevation yshowing the ylock mechanism controllable byfthekey and-used for purposes of testing v ad inspection.

The alarmbox is adapted to be sunken into a wall and thereby lcaused to practically occupy less room.`

At 4 is the solid surface of-a wall andv at 5, 6 are panel boards or plates surrounding the compartment 7. The face of the box is shown at 8. This box is provided with rectangular walls 8a having ianges 8h turned outwardly therefrom and extendingv behind the panel boards 5, 6, thereby holding the various parts-in position.- The box is fur ther provided with fianges 9, 10 which are simply continuations of the flanges 8b and are provided with slots 11 disposed obliquely and oppositely-to each other, as indicated in Fig. 1.l Behind the face 8 isa plate 12 provided centrally with an opening 12, and mounted securely upon the walls 8a. A block 13 of wood or other insulating material is mounted upon the plate 12.4 A leaf springl 14 is mounted upon the l conical `portion 28a.

STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

BREAK-GLASS FIRE-ALAIR'ML Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 16, 1911. Application led J'une 11, 1910. Serial No. 566,334.

downwardly-from the same. A vfastening bar 15 holds this spring in position andisvin turn held firmly against the block 13 by aid of a bolt 16. At.17 is a binding post whichris in metallic communication withthecontact spring 14. An insulated wire 18 is connected with the binding post and serves as one of the conductors for supplying an electric-current to the apparatus, as hereinafter described. `A bolt -19 extends`\ entirely vthrough the block 13 and is provided with a'rounded point 19a. The bolt is further provided with a head20, the latter having a conical portion 20a agalnst which the leaf spring 14 normally presses.

At21 is a leaf spring which is secured upon the lower portion of the block 13 b aid of a pressure plate 22. `Connected wit this leaf spring 21 is a binding post 23 to which 'is secured an insulated wire 24. Fit;

ted into an annular frame 25 of metal is a circular disk 26 of glass. This frame 25 carrying the glass fits into a circular opening 26a in the face 8. Mounted upon 4the lower edge of the annular frame 25 and extending inwardly from thesame is a bolt 27 having ahead 28 and this head having a The'bolt as a whole serves the` purpose of a latch for holding the annular frame 25 in its normal position indicated in Fig. 2. `Secured rigidly to the upper portion of the block 13 and extends face plate 8 and extending inwardly therefrom is a boss 29 having generally a cylindrical form.v This boss is provided with a neck 30 and loosely encircling this neck is a locking ring 31. Mounted upon the boss- 29 is a leaf spring 32 secured thereto by aid of .a screw bolt 33. Theboss 29-'is pro vided with a key-way 34 having the form of a slot and extending lengthwise through the boss. A key 35is provided with ka beveled edge 36 Aand is adapted to be inserted in the key-way so'vthat the beveled edge 36, by engaging the inner surface of the locking rlng 31, may move the ring laterally inn-a direction crossing the general longitudinal axis ofthe boss 29 and its key-wayYK 34. By merely placing the key 35 in the position indicated in Fig. 2, and pressing upon it, the

locking'ring 31 is movedobliquely downring obliquely upward and against the body i portion of the bolt 27, as indicated in Fig.

2. While in this position the locking ring- 31 is eccentric relatively to the boss 29. When, however, the key is inserted as just described, so that the locking ring 31 is drawn obliquely downward, the locking ring is brought into a true concentric position relatively to the axis of the boss 29, and is so doing the locking ring disengages the bolt 27 and moves entirely out of the path of the head 28, thereby leaving the lower end of the annular frame 25 entirely free.

At 37, 38 are two screws. A chain 39 is connected with the screw 38, and is also connected with a hammer 40 having a ring 41. By slipping the ring 41 over the screw 37 the hammer may be suspended from this screw. `Otherwise the hammer will hang from the chain 39 and screw 38.

The annular frame 25 is mounted upon a leaf spring 42 by aid of rivets or other appropriate fastenings 43, in such manner that the frame 25 normally tends to spring outward, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The arrangement of the parts is such,how

` ever, that when the lower edge of the frame 25 is forced inward toward the wall, as indicated in Fig. 2, the locking ring 31 springs -into its normal position so that a portion of the locking ring lodges between the head 28 and the face of the casing and thus holds the frame 25 in the position indicated by full` lines in Fig. 2. While in this position the pressure of the glass plate 26 against the bolt 19 causes the conical portion 20 of the bolt head 20 to hold the leaf spring 14 out of en agement with the spring 21, as indicated y full lines in Fig. 2. As soon, however, as the bottom edge of the frame 25 is liberated by action of the key 35, as above described, the tension of the leaf spring 42 causes the frame 25 to spring into the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the leaf s'pring 14 now springs into engagement with the leaf spring 21.

The insulated wires 18, 24 being connectved upwith a source of electricity and withconvenience I designate the annular frame 25 and the pane of glass 26 as a window.

The operation of-my device is asv follows: The parts being assembled and connected up as above described, the window is closed; that is to say, the lower edge of the annular frame 25 is forced into the position indicated by full lines in Fig. 2. When this is done the locking ring 31 snaps up against the body portion of the bolt 27 and prevents the head 28 of this bolt from moving. The tension of the leaf spring 32 now holds the lockingring 31 in its eccentric position as indicated by full lines in Fig. .2, and by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The pressure of the plate of glass 26 against the bolt 19 prevents contact between the leaf springs 14 and 21, and consequently the alarm is normally idle. Now, in case of fire the operator grasps the hammer 4 -and strikes the glass plate 26 with it. This liberates the bolt 19, which under pressure of the leaf spring 14 quickly moves forward until the bolt head 20 lodges against the block 13. T'he leaf spring 14 which serves the purpose of a contact spring now rests against the leaf spring 21 and a circuit is completed as follows: source of electricity, wire 18, binding post 17, springs 14, 21, plate 22, binding post 23, wire 24, to alarm, thence back to source -of electricity. This energizes the alarm. Suppose, now, that a properly authorized person provided with the key 35 wishes to test the system. He inserts the key as above described, so that the beveled edge 36 engages the inner surface of the locking ring 31 and moves this ring from its normal or eccentric position into its abnormal or true concentric position. This releases the bolt and allows the bottom of the window to swing outwardly, the sprlng 14 engaging the spring 21, as above described, and thus actuating the alarm.

Of course, it is an easy matter to test any alarm by breaking the glass, but this is obcondition of' the alarm can be vtested by merely inserting 'a key; and when the testis over, all that is'necessary to place the apparatus 1n normal condition is to press against the window, closing it with a snap.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination of a window having a normal position and an abnormal position, contact mechanism controllable by said window, a bolt mounted upon said window-and constituting a latch, and a lock including a locking ring engaging said bolt for the purpose of holding said window in its` normal position.

2. The combination of a movable member, contact mechanism to be closed by movements of said movable member, a bolt mounted u on said movable member, a boss disposed a jacent to said bolt and provided With a neck, a locking ring encircling said` name tothis specification in the presence ofV neck and adapted for temporarily holding two subscribing Witnesses.

said bolt, and means controllable at Will for shiftingthe position of said locking ring relatively to said bolt in order to release said movable member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my CHARLES AUTH.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH HUMPHREY, AUGUST E. F ARUNKOPF. 

